Contents

Vanderkam is assigned to the Federation cruiser Woglinde along with Commander Andrew Cherenkov and two other U-TIC loyalists. Their mission was to steal the Zohar Emulator recovered from the recently lost planet of Ariadne and return it to their commander Margulis on the asteroid complex Pleroma. Their plan goes awry when the Gnosis attack the Woglinde and its escort fleet and steal the Emulator from the cargo bay. Vanderkam and his subordinates survive the incident but are parted from Cherenkov.

Vanderkam had an unnamed older brother who was a Fleet Captain in the Federation Navy's 147th Fleet from the planet Gedalya. This captain, also bald and equally volatile in nature lead the U-TIC-driven effort to contain the Kukai Foundation after false video evidence is shown to the Executive Committee making the claim that the Kukai Foundation's flagship Durandal destroyed the Woglinde instead of the Gnosis. This claim is proven false and Vanderkam's Fleet Captain brother also disappears from the storyline, though it may have been possible that he was either killed during the Gnosis invasion of the Kukai Foundation or when Albedo Piazzolla turned the full fury of his E.S. Simeon loose on the Federation fleet after the Song of Nephilim is revealed.

Vanderkam is promoted to Captain and is put in charge of defending U-TIC/Ormus effort to recover the Original Zohar from Labyrinthos on Old Miltia. Put in command of a sizable force of A.M.W.S. his order was to ensure that nobody, in particular Jr.'s party, broke through to the old U-TIC facility. He positions a massive energy cannon at the back of the detachment right before the entrance to Labyrinthos which he personally controls with his two subordinates. When Jr. and company finally show up Vanderkam was easily defeated due to technical issues with the primary gun. Whether or not Vanderkam survives the destruction of his cannon is unknown.

Vanderkam has the unique distinction of being the only Xenogears character to be brought over into Xenosaga with virtually no changes to his character, aside from tweaks to his backstory and his facial tattoo being changed from a + to an x.

Vanderkam also shares similarities to Xenoblade's Vangarre and Xenoblade Chronicles X's Vandham. While both characters are different in personality and relationships with the main cast of each game, they all display drill sergeant personality quirks, such as being rough on their subordinates and calling them 'slackers'. All also have names beginning with 'Van-'.